rile

[rahyl] /raɪl/
verb (used with object), riled, riling. Chiefly Northern and North Midland U.S.
1.
to irritate or vex.
2.
to roil (water or the like).
Origin
1815-25; variant of roil
Synonyms
1. irk, annoy, provoke, chafe, nettle.
Examples from the web for rile
  • The broadcasts not only rile dictators, but comfort their beleaguered opponents.
  • When you're running for office, you want to inspire and rile people up.
  • The usual tactic is to rile dissenters hoping that their retaliatory replies will be censored.
  • It certainly must have made it harder to rile different factions into applause etc.
  • Administration officials have more recently acknowledged that the scrap served no purpose but to rile up transit workers.
  • Their effort drew no takers, although it did rile the plaintiffs' lawyers.
  • Part of it is obviously to get readers because these so clearly rile people up.
  • Don't let anyone rile you into arguments over trivial points or even important ones.
British Dictionary definitions for rile

rile

/raɪl/
verb (transitive)
1.
to annoy or anger; irritate
2.
(US & Canadian) to stir up or agitate (water, etc); roil or make turbid
Word Origin
C19: variant of roil
Word Origin and History for rile
v.

1825, American English spelling alteration to reflect a dialectal pronunciation of roil (q.v.); cf. heist from hoist and in the same era spile for spoil (v.). Bartlett writes that in both England and America roil "is now commonly pronounced and written rile" ["Dictionary of Americanisms," 1848]. Related: Riled; riling.